The Weekly Newsletter for Heart of Houston Birth and Wellness Families and Friends
Texas Spring
Well hello there, friends. How was your weekend? Did you cut back all those dead bushes and clean out those flower beds? Well don't worry, this weekend is supposed to be beautiful so you'll get another chance. This is the very best time of year to live in Houston. There are great outdoor festivals every other weekend and of course the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo starts at the end of this month and runs through March 19th. Kickoff begins this Sunday with the traditional Trail Ride. If a rodeo isn't your style, check out the carnival and livestock show. It makes for a great day of shopping, activities for the kids and people watching.
I've been busy meeting and coordinating with so many great Houston practitioners and other folks to add more programming to our calendar. I can't wait to show you what we've been up to. Be sure to check back next week for some important dates. We're planning our very first Heart of Houston Reunion and adding more family meet ups! Check out https://www.jillbjarvis.com/ for family friendly events around town.
Gear Swap!
Don't forget! This weekend is our 2023 Baby Gear Swap! Bring your gently used clothing, maternity clothing, baby and kid gear to swap with fellow HOH and Whole Heart Collective members. Drop your items off on Saturday the 18th from 10am to 2pm and come shopping on Sunday 2/19 from 12-4pm. **Please do not bring items any sooner than 10am on 2/18-we do not have storage space.** All items not claimed by 5pm on Sunday will be taken to local organizations for donation.
Pelvic Floor Birth Prep
We often say that labor is a marathon and not a sprint. You'll need endurance and that requires training, physical AND mental preparation. One of the most overlooked ways to prepare your body for labor is focusing on your pelvic floor and the key role it plays in bringing your baby earthside. The fact that the US healthcare system doesn't already include pelvic floor physical therapy in obstetrical care is, well don't get me started. Anyhow, when our friend and doula Noliko Utsuzawa approached us about hosting a workshop dedicated to pelvic floor health we immediately said hell yes.
Dr. Valrie Akinwande, a specialist in perinatal and postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation is offering a class to folks 30 week or more along in their pregnancy. In this 90 minute class you'll learn about: 1. Your Pelvic Floor Muscles 2. How to Improve Your readiness for Labor & Childbirth 3. How to reduce Perineal Tearing 4. Why Pelvic Floor Relaxation is important for labor (with a How-to demo) 5. Postpartum Expectations for Your Bladder, Bowels, and Sexual Health 6. How/when to safely return to exercise Postpartum 7. Preparing for a C-section
This class is open to everyone including partners. The fee is $110 per person and $125 for couples. Dress comfortably! You can register for this event HERE. Don't worry postpartum folks, I'll be adding a postpartum event to the April calendar soon!
Please welcome new midwifery student CJ
CJ Thorp is a midwifery student at the Association of Texas Midwives Midwifery Training Program. She is very excited to be joining the Heart of Houston team.
She was raised in both San Diego, CA and a small orchard town in Oregon. She first discovered midwifery when writing a speech in high school about maternal mortality, both in the U.S. and abroad. Learning about how midwives make birth safer and more comfortable for women led her to learn everything she could about birth and pregnancy. She briefly studied at the University of New Mexico and witnessed her first birth while interning at Maternidad La Luz, a bilingual birth center in El Paso, TX.
CJ firmly believes midwifery care is deserved by all mothers and hopes to later serve in one of Texas' many rural, low-income counties without a midwife. She also plans to earn a degree in nutrition after midwifery school.
In her free time, she volunteers with Lord of the Streets Episcopal Church, a homeless day center in downtown Houston, and the Gabriel Project, which provides material and emotional support to pregnant women. She enjoys drumming, solo travel, and a variety of crafts. She is a member of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives and the Association of Texas Midwives.
We've created a separate website for the Whole Heart Collective! This new site will house our calendar of events and our exclusive members area content. Our intention when creating WHC was to offer the same access to holistic resources and information to folks birthing with or without us. Community is our absolute jam so our hope is that more folks will see what we offer and join in the fun. We hope you'll check out and share with friends and family when you get a chance. If you've RSVP'd or registered to any events recently please take a moment to make sure it transferred over to the new site. And send me your feedback; this is your community too and we want you to be as proud of it as we are!!
This week's events
Let's meet at Houston Water Works at Sabine Street Tomorrow 10am
New address 6550 Mapleridge Ste 100
Monthly Ongoing Events
Wednesday Virtual Postpartum Support Circle: Second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 10-12 on Zoom. HOH clients and Whole Heart Collective members. Email Jessica if you need more information.
Thursday In Person Postpartum Support Circle: 10-12 in the community room. Open to current HOH & WHC members. Feeding clinic first and third Thursdays of each month.
Queer Parent Circle: Second Sunday of every month 2-4pm Open to the public.
Babywearing Meetup: Third Saturday of each month 4-5pm New Topic each month
Birth workers Circle: Second Sunday of every month 11am-1:30pm midwives, student midwives, doulas, birth assistants, Obs and L&D nurses are all welcome to attend.
Mindful Movements: First and second Saturday of each month 10:30-12
Various Childbirth Education Curriculums starting soon: Rebel Birth weekend intensive or Bradley Method with Anne Zwicky
That's all for now! Have a great week everyone.
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